Inside Darkness there stirs a Woman in a dress. Looking around in wonder and trying to figure out where she was.

“A Vision? Now? But I am not sleeping, how am I…”

The darkness slowly vanishes and she was on a grassy field looking at a starry night. While it should be dark, she could see like in the daylight all around her.

“Such a detailed Vision. I was having none for Days, but now this.”

Around her were the first animals visible. Birds flew short spaces and hid again in the long grass. More and more of the Field got shown in front of her but all creatures she could see were birds. Large one, small one, colourful one, even ones that look like the grass itself or burrowing in the ground.

“Only birds? Does that mean some-”

She noticed stirring behind her. For the first time she turned around and saw a black mountain area. Ten peaks looking weird and have strange decorations on the middle, she only slowly can decipher.

“No, that is not a Mountain range!”

Realising the thing in front of her is not what it first seemed she now looked in abstract horror onto this gigantic behemoth of a creature. Eight gargantuan legs looking like elephants feet would hold it high into the sky if it were not… napping?

“It is sleeping, thank the gods.”

Looking closer Eleonora saw more details of this thing. Black carapace like impregnable oricalcum, powerful feet making the world shatter below it, ten horns on its back like some kind of crown.

“Those Horns are inlaid with Iron?”

Finally realizing how the decorations on the Horns she mistook for Mountains were surrounded by bands of Iron the eery engravings on them were horrifying. Human faces distorted and elongated breath in the power of this Behemoth devouring it in an endless stream to keep it hidden from the world, the closer someone came the higher the chance to realize it is not just some mountain but a living being.

“Chains?”

There were chains going to a golden Halo, the bands were chained to this halo and giving it more power to devour even more vigorously.

“How much power… This is insane! If it were not suppressed by those bands, how strong would it be?”

Noticing something flickering around the Mountains… no, those Horns, Eleonora saw four big and beautiful birds flying around. Everyone was different and had impossible characteristics. One of them noticed Eleonora and landed while looking at her. It was an etherial bird with no fixed form, like a moving flame or just a Mirage, but the Eyes were piercing through her.

A voiceless cry was shaking the area. Nothing was heard by Eleonora but every single bird noticed the shout and looked at the human intruder. The other three birds in the sky were landing next to the first one. A small woodpecker with a small black beak. The beak was glistening and shows power beyond believe, one peck and Eleonora would be just a stain on the floor. The second was a scarred raven with metallic wings emanating a smell of salt. The last one was the most baffling, as it had no true form as if it shifts between looks. Sometimes the Creature vanished completely and only the word ‘Bird’ was in its place, it was ridiculous.

The Behemoth slowly waking up was noticing Eleonora too. Her presence a nuisance and while it still lied down on the ground, it was watching her.

“This is bad…”

Looking around she tries to find a way out. She felt the breath of Death right in front of her and she did not like it. She was never that close to dying and if she died in this Vision, her Death in real life might come faster than she would like.

“An escape. How to live?”

Looking around Eleonora tried to find an out. Most Visions had her do something to see the real outcome, but she could not find anything. Trying to shout was her first Idea but noticed right away, this would kill her on the spot, so there must be another option.

Seeing the birds all around her she noticed more things.

“Scars on the Wings…”

All Birds looked like they had clipped wings and bruises on their necks, slowly healing. They were domesticated? But now they are free, or not? Seeing the small bands on their left feet made her realize those Birds were all owned Pets.

“The owner… Is it that Behemoth, dear Gods how many…”

The bands on their feet were slightly red, while many had close to white bands. Looking up to the Behemoth the four Birds on its back had also bands but these were crimson red and slightly glowing. It made her feel like those bands were close to bleeding so red were they.

“Where is the escape? There must be one. I must find it!”

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Looking around she notices the Darkness slowly creeping back from the horizon.

“Damn! The Vision is ending, if I do not find a solution fast I will die!”

Panic came over her like the other time where she had no hope in her Dream. Finally she found something in front of her feet lying on the ground and she took it immediately. A tool would often show her the right way, she just needed to understand how to use it.

“A needle with red string. What shall I do? I do not understand!”

Darkness came closer and closer, behind the Behemoth the creeping shadow started to engulf him and devour her hope to make it out of here intact.

“Running and I am dead, shouting and I am dead. I need to appease all of them but how… No, this is insane, that is stupid!”

Realizing her way out she saw the still slowly creeping Darkness coming closer.

“I need to do it, otherwise I will not know if that is the right way! Damn it!”

Taking her shaking hand she put the Needle on her lips… and started sewing her Mouth shut.

“Pain! There is never pain in Visions, even when that creepy one cracked my Skull open there was none! No, I have to be quiet. If I even make a noise, I will die!”

Slowly sewing close her own mouth the bloody needle never stopped and after an excruciating long time finally she was finished. The pain suddenly halted and the thread became invisible while the needle vanished. The eyes on every Creatures around her still stared right into her soul until…

“They are dispersing. Still watching but now they are not hostile to me and the Behemoth started dozing off again. I am saved?”

Darkness engulfs her and this vision should soon end.

“I survived. I may not have much time to understand what to do, but need to do it quick, when I wake up. My life is on a thin thread!”

After a few seconds the place started to light up again.

“Another one! Is this a new one or continuation, I am so confused already, let me understand the first one, damn it!”

Inside a golden cage Eleonora stood. Below that cage was a giant chess board moving into the eternity without end. In the darkness she felt a familiar presence.

“There is someone playing a gigantic chess board. This feeling of familiarity. Someone I know?”

The presence seems to be busy and did not notice her on the chess board, but felt if she just said a word, it would make her visible to the one she felt such familiarity to.

At a loss what to do, she noticed her small cage rattling. A small force without being noticed by the presence shoves her slowly and steadily from a black space to the neighbouring white space.

“Isn’t that cheating? My teacher said, cheating is it only if it is noticed, but that blatantly is a bit much.”

While she is slowly shoved, she was in a dilemma. The presence does not notice for now, but only a word and she would stop being moved and instead placed back to where she should belong.

“Telling or not. Why is it so difficult, is the Presence not someone I know? What is this force for making me move without permission?”

While she was close to shouting to the presence, she remembered the last Vision. The last time the solution was silence. Brutal and vicious silence, but silence.

“If that was the case, then what about now? I mean I know the Presence, but is it really someone I could trust? The force pushes me, but could have pushed me directly without the presence noticing, it made it careful to not shake me too hard and I do not think it is because it does not want to be noticed but for my comfort. Better believe my intuition for now.”

Being silent the cage was finally pushed to the white space and nothing else had happened while the darkness slowly crept in.

“Was I wrong? Maybe I should shout… no I made my decision, now I have to see.”

Before the Darkness came fully a red statue came through the chess board. It was originally grey, but soaked in blood. A skeleton with a scythe scraped through the black space the Cage originally stood on and left a trail of blood and gore.

“I would have been… What does this now mean? I escaped two Visions and both were showing me my Death. Why am I on such a tight rope and balancing between multiple ways I could die, I am going crazy!”

-

Out of shock Eleonora let go of Drak’s hand. While she is still a bit dazed she realizes where she was and sensing from her surroundings no time had passed.

‘Back to where I am. How could I have Visions while awake and in such a short time? No matter, I can not let the people know-’

Eleonora noticed the look on someone specific. A Maid of Drak looked at her with unblinking eyes. Her smile was gentle but did not feel warm at all. Looking unwavering at her she looked in Eleonora’s eyes like… a specific etherial bird.

“...~”

Fear started to crawl like the freezing cold of winter slowly up her spine to her skull. This was bad, really bad.

The next moment she noticed the scarred maid slightly touching her own skirt, seeing multiple metallic things glinting for a split second in her hands.

‘metallic feathers-’

Looking at the small stature of the always bubbly cute maid of Drak, her eternal smile she wore was a bit diminished, and she remembered a woodpecker in her Vision. She did not even need to look at the veiled one, she already knew.

With only touching Drak… touching that Behemoth, she made her demise so close she could taste the earth put on her grave already.

Her brain was working in overdrive until she finally could speak after a few second.

“I know, you would like your new outfit being a secret, but I would love to be by your side, I will not say anything about it I swear.”

‘Please notice my intention. I really will never tell anyone, I swear in my heart and be forever silent about it. Please!’

“...~”

“It is embarrassing… but okay. And please do not touch me, I have still problems with that. I have bad memories… I bet everyone has something that they want to forget, right?”

“I know what you mean, but I am here, if you want to talk, we are fellow students, I will always hear you out and keep your worries between us, I promise.”

“Ah, dear guests, please be not that melancholic, I will make sure you will have the best possible Garments and for the time I will do my utmost to entertain you. Assistant, bring some chilled fruit drink for our Guests, while we look at the Fabrics. Please follow me, dear Guests.”

The retinue of Eleonora was questioning her strange behaviour, but could not say anything while on public. They just noted the behaviour to ask later.